Employees from Birmingham-based fast-fit specialist ATS
Euromaster won top accolades at the HR Excellence Awards on June
27th.
The company entered 2008 with severe economic problems and had
to close approximately 80 of its smaller service centres. But a new
management team used a strategy designed by the Human Resources
(HR) department to conduct an effective turnaround in the teeth of
the recession, and professionals from across the industry came to
their feet at London's Park Lane Hilton Hotel to show their
appreciation of a team led by Group HR Director Irene Stark.
The department used employee forums, road shows, DVDs and
training programmes in a three-year strategy designed to make the
company communicate better internally and provide a better service
for customers.
The Awards, run by HR Magazine, were presented to Irene Stark,
Group HR Director and Jane Linnell, Group Internal Communications
Manager, in front of more than 500 guests, most of them senior HR
professionals from the UK's top companies.
ATS Euromaster beat finalists The Savoy Hotel (London),
McDonalds, Mercedes-Benz UK and Centrica to the 'Best HR Team -
Private Sector'; and won the 'Most Effective Use of Internal
Communications' Award ahead of finalists Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Punch Taverns and RS
Components.
"In 2009, we gave HR and internal communications a challenge
many would regard as Mission Impossible," said Ian Stuart, Group
Managing Director. "They've certainly done a good job and I am
delighted their own professional peers from across the UK saw
things the same way."
Group HR Director Irene Stark added: "Nearly 3,000 ATS
Euromaster employees in our 370 locations responded positively and
energetically to a strategy which was designed to improve our
retail offer and position us as the lead provider of tyre services
to business fleets. It's great for my team to win awards, but
the results were down to every one of our colleagues - they backed
us to the hilt."